1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a housing assembly for electric components and, more specifically, to a housing assembly having a plurality of pivotal mounting plates to which electric components may be coupled so that the components, while operably connected, may be pivoted to an exposed position so that a user may access the components.
2. Background Information
Housing assemblies for electrical components are typically structured to accommodate one or more printed circuit boards or other electrical components. The electrical components are coupled to mounting brackets within the housing assembly. Because printed circuit boards tend to have a sheet-like structure, and to reduce the space the housing occupies, the printed circuit boards are typically mounted in a generally parallel and adjacent manner. The electrical components are coupled to each other, or to an input/output port by one or more cables. This configuration allows a number of electrical components to be mounted in a single enclosure.
The disadvantage to such a housing assembly is that to access the electrical components, the components must be removed from the housing assembly. When the electrical components are removed from the housing assembly, the components are no longer operably connected. Thus, when a problem occurs, a user must open the housing assembly, disconnect all of the cables, remove the electrical components, repair or replace the suspected faulty component, and then reinstall and connect the electrical components and cables. If the wrong component was removed, the procedure must be repeated until the faulty component is repaired or replaced. The act of repeatedly assembling and disassembling the electrical components and cables is a time-consuming task.
There is, therefore, a need for a housing assembly that allows a user to access the electrical components while the components remain operably connected to each other.
There is a further need for a housing assembly that allows a user to quickly move electrical components between an enclosed position and an exposed position.
There is a further need for such a housing assembly to be adapted for use with existing electrical components.